🇮🇹 A Stunning Church in Puglia, Captured on My Phone During a Hike

Discovering this church was a happy accident 🍀 during my hike! Due to a bus transfer, I had to walk from the south to the northeast of town, cutting straight through Martina Franca’s historic center 🏰. Short on time, I snapped these shots with my 4-year-old Redmi Note 9 Pro—still holding up strong! 💪📱 The old town is well-preserved but low-key �, letting me wander its quiet streets in peace. 🤫✨ Basilica Pontificia Santuario di San Martino di Tours ⛪ This basilica is the cathedral of Martina Franca (Taranto province). Dedicated to St. Martin of Tours, it was built between 1747–1785 on the ruins of an earlier Romanesque church. 📜 Fun facts: Pope John Paul II elevated it to a Pontifical Minor Basilica in 1998. 🙏 In 2002, UNESCO declared it a "Messenger Monument of Peace Culture." ☮️ A 1743 earthquake destroyed the original church, leading to its Baroque-style reconstruction—though some heritage was lost forever. 😢 Architectural Highlights 🏛️ Façade: 37m tall, 24m wide, with 11 semicircular steps leading up. Lower level: 6 decorative pilasters + 4 statues (St. John the Baptist, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Joseph). Upper level: 4 pilasters + arched window + statues of St. Comasia & St. Martina. Top: A mixed-style pediment with St. Martin’s coat of arms. 🛡️ Interior: Latin cross layout ✝️ + a small Eucharistic chapel (added later, completed in 1802). #Italy 🇮🇹 #Puglia #Baroque #CatholicChurch #ArchitecturePhotography #MartinaFranca #Taranto #HikingAdventures 🚶♂️🌿 #HiddenGems 💎 #TravelDiaries ✈️